Life Upside Down
by Jellybean82
Summary: This story is a continuation of 'The Koothrappali Conflict'. Raj is still dating Leslie and this story focuses more on the entire group of friends with Leslie included.
1. Chapter 1- One Too Many

Sheldon stands in the livingroom of his apartment staring at an incomplete equation on his dry erase board. Leonard, Howard, and Raj are all seated around the coffee table playing the three-person chess game Sheldon once created. As Leonard flips through the notepad of rules to see what move to make, he notices Sheldon staring at his board, not making a move.

"Are you alright Sheldon?" He asks.

"Somethings not right..." He responds as he rubs his chin. "I just can't figure out what it is."

"Do you need some help?" Leonard says with a sly grin on his face.

"Leonard, I don't have time for nonsense." Sheldon says as he continues to stare at his board.

Leonard shakes his head and proceeds to make his move when there is a knock at the door.

"Come in" Leonard yells out.

The door opens and Leslie walks into the room.

"Hey Leslie." Leonard says as she makes her way into the room.

"Hey... What are you guys doing?" She asks.

"Playing three person chess" Howard says as he stares intensely at the chess board.

"Alright,... that's new. Who's winning?" She asks confused.

"Hell if I know." He responds.

Leslie walks over to Sheldon and stands behind him. She watches him stare at the dry erase board before she peeks over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" She says startling Sheldon.

Snapping out of his trance and realizing that Leslie is behind him he scurries to the board and blocks it with his back.

"Please refrain from looking at my board." He says sternly.

"It looks like you're stuck." She says trying to take a peek.

"I am not stuck,." He says as he continues to block her movements.

"You know I could probably help you figure it out if you let me see." She says as she jokes with him.

"I'm well aware that you are probably the only person in this room, besides myself, who is capable of solving this problem."

"OK. So why don't you let me."

Sheldon pauses for a second, looks at Leslie and says "Because I don't want to." As he grabs his board and takes it into his bedroom and closes the door.

Leslie just laughs as she walks over and sits on the arm of Raj's chair and watches the guys play chess. Sheldon, visibly annoyed, comes walking back out and grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"You know what, I've been in this predicament before.."

"What predicament?" Leslie says as she looks at him.

"I have realized that it is not in my best interest to have more than a certain number of friends. I believe I have exceeded that limit.."

"So what, am I the one too many?"

"Yes... yes you are."

"Sheldon please... You know you love me." she says as she hops up and pretends she is going to hug him.

"Leslie, don't touch me." he warns her.

"I wasn't going to touch you.. I was just kidding."

Sheldon gives her a stern look as he walks away and takes a seat on his spot on the couch.

"Why are you here anyway? We're not having dinner yet."

"I'm waiting for Penny to get home. Raj and I need to get a few things to take to Hawaii for the astrophysics conference and she has insisted that she help us."

"Yeah, that sounds like Penny." Leonard says as he laughs. "She loves to help other people spend their money. Hey, since Penny is going with you guys why don't I tag along and we can all grab some lunch."

"Ok." Leslie says nonchalantly

"Yeah, It'll be fun." Raj says with excitement.

"Why don't I give Bernadette a call and we can all go." Howard says as he whips out his cellphone."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...I'm going to be trying on clothes. I don't need a large crowd watching me."

"Well why didn't you ask Bernadette to help you anyway? You hang out with her more than you do Penny."

"I didn't ask Penny! She volunteered herself. It doesn't matter who comes, do rock paper scissors for all I care."

"Ohhh, can we do rock, paper, scissors, lizard, spock." Sheldon calls out from the couch.

"Uh no, because you definitely aren't going. Koothrappali, lets go." Leslie says as she walks out the door.

Raj looks at his friends and shrugs as he follows Leslie out of Leonard and Sheldon's apartment and into Penny's.

"Are you guys ready?" Penny says as she grabs her purse.

"Well, you may not be going." Leslie says irritated.

"Why not! You already agreed to let me come... come on...you know I love to shop."

"Well I guess Leonard and Howard are challenging each other to see who get to come along."

Raj starts to whisper in Leslie's ear but she swats him away before he can finish.

"Look, I'm not for all of this whispering crap today, if you have something to say to Penny say it to her yourself." Leslie says as she sits on the couch. Penny stands there with her hands on her hips giving Raj a huge smile.

"So, do you have something to say to me?" She asks him.

Raj looks at Leslie, then back at Penny and shakes his head no. Leslie rolls her eyes and Penny laughs and gives Raj a hug.

"Maybe one day sweetie." Penny says as she walks out the door and across the hall.


	2. Chapter 2- Let's Do Lunch

"Leonard, let's go." Penny says as she walks in the door.

"Wait a minute, we still haven't determined the winner of rock, paper, scissors. Howard yells as he and Leonard shoot "

"Yeah, game's over...Leonard wins. Let's go." Penny says as she tugs on Leonard's sleeve.

"That's not fair! We're not done playing!"

"Look Howard, this shopping trip was my idea. You know I love to shop, and help other people shop...it brings me great joy. What doesn't bring me joy is shopping with Leslie when she's cranky she turns into the Queen Bitch. You two are making her cranky... "

"Hear that Raj, I'm Queen Bitch" Leslie says as she and Raj walk through the door."

"I don't mean it in a bad way, I can be a bitch too" Penny says.

"It's okay, I kinda like it. But seriously...I'm ready to go."

"Come on, we'll take my car" Raj says right as he notices he has spoken in front of Penny.

Leslie nods and smiles at Raj. "Good job honey!" She says as she rubs his back.

Raj cuts his eye at her and walks out the door.

"Come on guys," Penny says "Leslie sit in back with me so that we can talk."

"Oh goody." Leslie says sarcastically as she walks out of the door.

Penny and Leonard follow behind and everyone piles into Raj's car. They head to the mall where they spend the morning and most of the afternoon shopping. Several hours and stores later they decide to take a break and find a restaurant to have lunch. As the four of the midst of talking, a small timid woman walks up to the table.

"Hello," she says as she waves to everyone. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Raj can I speak to you for a minute."

"Um, sure" Raj says as he stands and walks across the room with the woman.

"Well, I'm gonna run to the restroom." Leslie says as she gets up and makes her way to the bathroom.

While Raj and Leslie are gone Leonard and Penny continue to talk and eat.

"Do you know who that is?" Penny asks Leonard as she watches Raj talk to the woman across the room.

"Yeah, that's Lucy." Leonard says.

Penny's mouth drops as she grabs Leonard's arm "The Lucy Raj used to date!" She says "Does Leslie know that's her?"

"I don't know. I guess not."

"I have a bad feeling about this. " Penny says as she starts to fan herself.

"Are you okay?" Leonard asks looking at Penny with concern.

"I don't know. I get nervous when I think Leslie is going to get mad, she can be scary."

Leonard laughs and holds Penny's hand. "She's not that bad...plus, even if she is mad, she won't be mad at you, she'll be mad a Raj."

Penny and Leonard continue to talk as Leslie returns to the table.

"You won't believe who just called me." She says as she sits in the booth.

"Who?" Leonard and Penny say in unison

"Barry Kripke!" Leslie says with disgust.

"What did Kripke want?" Leonard asks

"He asked me out... Like I would ever go out with that creep."

"What's wrong with Kripke?" Penny asks.

"Have you ever met him? He's a disgusting pig. I tried to tell him that I was seeing someone and he just kept pestering me and asking me who. I didn't want to tell him but after he asked me a million times I finally gave in and told him I was seeing Raj."

Leonard lets out a laugh. "What did he say?"

"Waj Koothwapawli?" Leslie says mocking Kripke's speech "Why would you date him? He's a wooser."

"He actually said that?" Leonard says puzzled,

"Oh yeah, he says stuff like that about you guys all the time. He's not all that fond of you all. But I just told him look I'm with Raj and he only had to ask me out once you have asked me out for years and I keep telling you no, so who's the loser."

"Go ahead Leslie." Penny says as she laughs.

"Ugh, I can't stand him. Hey, where is Raj anyway?" Leslie says as she looks around.

"He's still talking." Leonard says as he continues to eat his food.

"Who was that girl?" Leslie says as she still looks for Raj. "Did they go outside?"

"Um, no I think they went to the bar."

As Leslie continues to look for Raj and asks Leonard questions Penny starts to hyperventilate. Hearing Penny's panting behind her head Leslie whips around and gives her a funny look.

"What's wrong with you?" She asks.

"What, me... nothing?" Penny says giving Leonard a pained look. "I'm sure Raj will be back in a few... want me to get him?"

"No, I'm sure he'll come back when he's done. It's not that big a deal."

Leslie cuts her eye at Penny and then looks at Leonard. Leonard just shrugs his shoulders as he holds Penny's hand across the table. Just then Raj and Lucy come walking back to the table.

"Hey, Leslie... this is Lucy" he says introducing the two. "And you've met Leonard and this is Penny."

"Hi." Penny says eyes wide open looking like she's scared for her life.

Leonard just throws his hand up and waves.

"Well it was nice seeing you. " Raj says as he gives Lucy a hug.

"Nice seeing you all, Take care." Lucy says as she walks out the door.

Raj sits back down in the booth next to Leonard as Penny nervously scans everyone's face. she looks back and forth at Raj and Leslie hoping that everything is okay.

"So _that _was Lucy, huh?" Leslie says.

"Yeah, I guess she just wanted to tie up some loose ends. Wanted to know what happened. I never really gave her an explanation why I stopped calling her. "

"So what did you tell her?" Leslie said.

"I told her the truth. I owed her that much."

"So why did you bring her over here? If I were her I wouldn't want to meet the woman the guy I was seeing left me for... I'm surprised she didn't try to punch one of us in the face."

"She's not like that. She's a little too awkward to try to confront anyone."

"See Leslie... everything is okay. Nothing to get upset about." Penny says talking to Leslie in a calm tone.

"O...k... who said there was anything wrong. What is up with you today? You're acting really strange."

"Nothing...I'm fine. Oh! I meant to ask if you are coming to girls night tonight?"

"Girls night?"

"Yeah. Me, Amy, and Bernadette get together and eat, have some drinks, and talk about these guys. Sometimes we go dancing or something else fun. How about it?"

"I don't know. I was going to try to hang out with my friend Lisa tonight. I haven't seen very much of her since I started dating Raj."

"Come on, just tonight. It'll be fun."

"Yeah, girls night is great." Raj says trying to get Leslie to agree.

"How do you know."

"Oh, Raj is our honorary member. He hangs with us from time to time." Penny says as her and Raj smile at each other.

"That's just sad." Leslie says as she shakes her head. "Okay. I'll see if Lisa wants to have lunch Sunday or something."

"Great! " Penny says "You're going to have so much fun!"


	3. Chapter 3- Ladies Night Redux

Its Saturday night and Raj and Leslie pull up to the apartment building where Penny, Leonard, and Sheldon live. They sit in the car and talk for a while before going inside.

"Have you girls decided what you're going to do tonight?"

"Penny said we would decide once we all got there. She said to bring comfy clothes in case we stay in and clothes to go out in. "

"Cool."

"So what do you guys have planned for the night?"

"Same as always watch movies, play games, and complain about our girlfriends."

"Really..."

"Yeah... but can I get a kiss before we start trash talking each other for the night?"

"I guess." Leslie says as she leans over the arm rest to give Raj a kiss.

"Come on, I'll get your bags."

Leslie and Raj get out of the car .Raj grabs his backpack and Leslie's duffle bag from the backseat and they walk inside the building and up the stairs to the fourth floor. Once they reach the fourth floor they stand in front of Leonard and Sheldon's door and give each other a hug and another kiss. As they are kissing, Penny opens the door and spots them.

"Hey, Leslie's here!" She yells inside to Bernadette and Amy. "Let her go Raj, she's ours for the night." She says as she separates the two and pushes Leslie towards her apartment. "I'll be right back... I'm gonna get some ice from Leonard and Sheldon."

Penny and Raj walk into Leonard and Sheldon's apartment.

"Hey guys." Raj says as he sits on the couch.

"Hey, can I get some ice from you guys. My ice maker's not working." Penny asks waving her ice bucket.

"Sure go ahead." Leonard says.

Penny fills up her ice bucket and dashes towards the door.

"Thanks guys! Have fun tonight!"

She closes the door and goes back to her apartment. When she walks in Bernadette, Amy, and Leslie are already in the middle of a conversation. Penny, not wanting to miss out, hurries to put the ice in her freezer and has a seat on the livingroom floor.

"What are we talking about?" She asks interrupting the conversation.

"Sheldon." Amy says.

"What about him." Penny asks.

"I don't know how much more I can take. It's a shame that I have to trick him into touching me."

"Well you kinda knew what you were getting into when you started dating him."

"I know, but I've changed over the years and I guess I just expected him to change with me."

"Sheldon is a work in progress... he has changed, but it's been a slow...very slow and long process. If you want to be with him, you're just going to have to be patient."

"Screw that, you need to tell him you need some more affection." Leslie says.

"I've tried that, but I signed a contract and those things are pretty iron clad." Amy says regretfully.

"Yeah, It's kinda hard to get Sheldon to do anything outside of the agreement." Bernadette chimes in.

"I don't understand why anyone signs those things. From what I hear the only person they seem to benefit is Sheldon. Has anyone ever thought to negotiate with him so that everything doesn't lean so heavily in his favor?" Leslie asks.

"I never thought about that." Amy says as she sits and thinks. "I wonder if it's too late to negotiate a deal."

Before anyone can answer there is a knock at the door and Penny gets up to see who is there.

"Who is it?" She yells.

"Raj!" He yells from the other side of the door.

Penny opens the door and lets Raj in.

"Hello ladies." Raj says as he walks in the door.

"Hey Raj." Everyone says in unison.

"I just realized that I still had Leslie's duffle bag." he says as he hands Leslie the bag.

"Thanks." Leslie says as she gets up to take the bag from him.

"Raj, let me ask you a question." Amy says.

"OK." Raj says as he sits down on the couch"

"Want some wine?" Penny asks as she hands him a glass.

"Come on girl, you know I want some wine." Raj says as Penny pours some wine into the glass. "So what's up Amy."

"Do you think Sheldon will let me revise our relationship agreement?" Amy asks.

"That's a good question. Usually he only allows revisions in emergency cases. Why do you ask."

" I want to add to the affection clause. I don't think it benefits me at all."

"Do any of the agreements Sheldon has anyone sign benefit anyone but him?"

"I'll be back." Leslie says as she walks towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Bernadette asks her.

"I left something in the car."

"The car keys are in my backpack." Raj tells her.

"Ok." Leslie says as she walks out the door and across the hall to Leonard and Sheldon's apartment and knocks on the door.

"Come in." Leonard calls out.

Leslie opens the door and walks in.

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt you guys, I'm just looking for Raj's car keys." Leslie says sounding a little annoyed.

"You're not bailing out on them already, are you?" Howard asks jokingly.

"No, I should, but no... I'm not."

"What's wrong." Leonard asks concerned.

"I understand that Raj was a part of their ladies night activities before, but if I'm going to be a part of it I don't want my boyfriend there."

"I thought he was just going to give you your duffle bag."

"I guess that's what he came to do, but now he's sipping on wine chatting with the girls."

"Well you're welcome to hang out here if you want."

"What are you guys doing?"

"Finishing up this movie then we were going to play 'Rock Band' for awhile."

"Sounds like fun but I don't want to intrude."

"No, you're alright." Howard says. "We're going to need a singer anyway since ours is across the hall."

"Here." Sheldon says as he pats the seat next to him. "Sit next to me."

"You're not going to talk me to death are you?"

"No, we can just chat like buddies do!"

"Fine...since we're chatting like buddies, tell me what's up with you and Amy?" Leslie says as she sits on the couch next to Sheldon.

"What do you mean?" Sheldon asks confused.

"Why don't you show her any affection?"

"Leslie, we don't really go there with Sheldon." Leonard tries to warn her.

"Maybe you don't, but I do... so what's up."

"I show Amy plenty of affection." Sheldon says trying to defend himself.

"Well, you two must have a completely different definition of affection. She has needs Sheldon...and you need to satisfy those needs."

"I satisfy Amy's needs just fine."

"Really..."

"Well what do you suggest I do?"

"Kiss her sometimes for starters."

"Ugh. Kissing is a great way to spread germs from one person to another. I don't think I want to risk it."

"Maybe you should risk it. She's looking for a lot more than a kiss, but that would be a good start."

"I don't know..."

"Come on... next time you see her, just give her a peck on the lips. You don't have to French her right away."

"French her?"

"Kiss with tongue.."

"Ew, oh my. I don't think I can do that ."

"Well can you give her a peck on the lips... By comparison, that's not so bad."

"I suppose... Maybe I'll try it."

"Will you do it next time you see her?"

"I guess."

"Great, I wanna see this."

"Okay guys movie's over... Let's get our rock on!" Leonard says as he and Howard pull out all the Rock Band equipment. "Leslie, are you ready?"

"I guess." Leslie says.

"Alright, well pick a song." Leonard says as he hands Leslie the mic.


	4. Chapter 4- Role Reversal

"What happened to Leslie? Did she ditch us?' Penny asks as she pours more wine in her glass.

"I don't know." Raj says confused. " I'll call her." Raj takes his cell phone from his pocket and dials Leslie's number. The phone rings several times then goes to her voicemail. Raj dials the number again and once again it goes to her voicemail. "She's not answering." He says as he slides the phone back in his pocket.

"Soooo...How are things going with you two?"

"Everything is great...Why, did she say something?" Raj says in a panic. "You would tell me if she said something...right?"

"Of course I would tell you. I was just wondering."

"Oh, okay."

"She wasn't upset about Lucy was she?"

"No, why would she be? I told her all about Lucy and she knows that I'm happier with her than I ever was with Lucy..."

"Aww, that's sweet."

"Don't get me wrong, Lucy is a sweet girl.. just not for me. " He explains.

"I understand. You and Leslie do seem right for each other. "

"Yeah...let me ask you all a question... Do you all think it's too soon to ask Leslie to move in with me?"

"Are you sure you're ready for that?" Bernadette asks.

"It might be a little too soon, this is the same woman who wasn't even sure about being in a relationship to begin with." Penny says "You've only been dating a few months."

"I understand that, but we're always together. If she's not at my place, I'm at hers. I can't even tell you the last time I slept alone, we practically live with each other now."

"Yeah, but you always have the option to go home. "

"I know, but I love her and I want to be with her." Raj casually says.

"Raj!' Amy says in shock.

"What?"

"You just said you love her!" Bernadette squeals in disbelief.

"Have you told her yet?" Penny asks.

"No, I thought it might be too soon, but I can't help how I feel. And it feels for real this time."

"I think you should tell her. " Bernadette says. "You might be surprised by her response."

"I might." Raj says as he finishes his glass of wine. "Or she might react the way I think she will and go running for the hills."

"I don't think so... I think she really likes you."

"Yeah, well like isn't love."

"Do y'all hear that?" Penny says as she walks towards the door. "What is that noise?!"

"Wait a minute...it sounds like they're playing Rock Band without me!" Raj says disappointed. "They can't do that! I'm the lead singer."

"Come on, let's go see..." Penny says as she opens the door.

Raj, Bernadette, and Amy march out of the door and across the hall with Penny following behind them. Raj swings open the door to Leonard and Sheldon's apartment and he and the girls all rush in.

"Hey!" Leonard says as he stares intensely at the television screen.

"We're waiting for our singer to come back." Sheldon says as he presses the keys on his guitar controller."

"Oh, I thought you guy were starting without me!" Raj says with a smile. "Which song are we doing?"

"Not you silly.." Sheldon says dismissively.

"What do you mean not me... I'm the singer."

"Oh, you've been replaced."

"What do you mean replaced? You can't replace me!"

"We can...and we did." Sheldon states still focused on the television screen in front of him.

As Sheldon and Raj bicker back and forth Leslie comes running from the bathroom and grabs the mic from the table."

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" She asks Raj and the other girls.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Raj says with a sour look on his face.

"Playing Rock Band! It's so fun... I get to be the singer!"

"But I'm the singer..."

"Leslie, what are you doing over here?" Penny asks disappointed. "I thought you were going to hang out with us tonight."

"Well girls night isn't really girls night when your boyfriend is hanging with you."

"Oh, I didn't think about that. Well Raj, looks like you're out."

"What! Why?" Raj says as he turns to Penny.

"We love you Raj, but we want to hang out with Leslie and she's right it's not really girls night if your boyfriend is there... maybe next time." Bernadette politely explains to him.

"Ok, fine. Only for you" Raj says as he gives Leslie a hug.

"Thanks, I guess I'll turn this over to you." Leslie says as she hands Raj the microphone.

"Well this is an unpleasant turn of events... " Sheldon says.

"Why do you say that?" Raj says.

"No reason."

"I'm starving, let's go get some dinner." Leslie says to the girls.

"I know the perfect place!" Penny says. "When I first moved here the guys took me to a karaoke sushi spot... how about it?"

"That sounds great."

"Alright, let's go."

All of the ladies walk over to their guys to say their goodbyes.

"I'm sorry for ruining girls night for you." Raj whispers in Leslie's ear.

"You didn't ruin it. I had fun over here and now I'm going to have fun with the girls." She whispers back to him."

"I love you Leslie.." Raj quietly whispers to her.

Leslie, surprised by what she is hearing takes a step back and looks at Raj.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that... I don't want you to feel pressured..." Raj starts to ramble nervously hoping he didn't scare her.

Leslie throws her arms around Raj's neck and hugs him tighter. "I love you too." she tells him.

"You don't have to say it just because I did."

"I didn't...I do...I love you too." She reassures him.

Raj and Leslie begin to playfully kiss each other much to Sheldon's displeasure. He tosses his guitar down and angrily walks over to the two of them. "For goodness sake, can you two take your love fest somewhere other than in front of my television screen."

Leslie lets go of Raj and turns to Sheldon with her hands on her hips. "No need, I'm about to go."

"Thank you."

"But before I go, isn't there something _you're_ supposed to do?"

"Oh come on, you weren't serious about that were you?"

"I was, now get on it."

"What should I do?" He whispers to Leslie looking for help.

"Whatever comes naturally."

Sheldon slowly makes his way back across the room to where Amy is standing. Raj, unaware of what is going on looks at Leslie trying to figure out what is happening.

"What was that about?" He asks her.

"Just watch." She says as she puts her arms around him.

Sheldon slowly paces around Amy as he carefully plans out his next move.

"Sheldon, are you okay?" She asks him.

"Why do you ask?" He replies.

"Your circling me like a shark."

"Amy, I hope you have fun tonight with your friends."

"Thank you Sheldon, I hope you have fun with your friends also."

Sheldon takes a second and places his hand on Amy's shoulder.

Amy cuts her eyes to her shoulder and looks back at Sheldon. "What are you doing?" She asks him.

"I'm not really sure how to go about this."

"Go about what?"

"Sheldon thinks to himself again and takes his hand from Amy's shoulder. He glances over at Leslie who gives him a go ahead look. Nervously, he tries to find a place to put his hand and finally settles on putting his hands on Amy's waist.

"What's going on?" Amy asks.

Sheldon leans in and gives Amy a soft quick peck on the lips as everyone looks in disbelief.

"What was that!" Raj says looking at Leslie.

"Oh...my...God.. LEONARD! Did you see that?" Penny squeals.

"I did and I'm still trying to process it." Leonard says as he thinks to himself.

Amy still frozen in shock finally snaps out of it and begins to feel Sheldon's face.

"Amy, what are you doing?" Sheldon asks.

"Checking for signs of a fever...I think you've become ill." Amy replies.

"I'm not ill." Sheldon says as he swats her hand away.

"Are you aware that you just kissed me?"

"I'm well aware... you are my girlfriend, and I felt it was appropriate to express my fondness of you with a kiss."

"Really..." Amy says taken aback "Well we can do better than that!"

Amy forcefully grabs Sheldon and attempts to kiss him more. Sheldon desperately tries to shield her and calls out to Leslie.

"Leslie, help! I knew this was a bad idea." Sheldon calls out.

Leslie hurries over to Sheldon and Amy and tugs on Amy's arm.

"Come on, I think that's enough." She says trying to hold back laughter.

"Enough! Do you know how long I've been waiting for this!"

"And if you don't back off you'll be waiting a lot longer for it to happen again."

"Do you understand what's happening here... He kissed me... I'm almost certain we're going to have intercourse." Amy says with excitement.

"Oh, dear Lord... she's already planning coitus." Sheldon says in fear. "Leslie do you see what you did."

"Its alright... come on Amy, let's go." Leslie laughs.

Leslie take Amy by the hand and they, along with Penny and Bernadette, leave to finish their girls night.


	5. Chapter 5- Wishing For Death

It's early Monday morning and the sound of the alarm clock has woken Leslie up from a short but deep sleep. After being up and down all night she is groggy and disoriented as she feels around for the alarm clock. Once she finds it, she turns it off and accidentally knocks it to the floor. She rolls over on her back and listens to the sound of the shower running in the other room. Slowly she turns her head to the side to see Babita laying on her pillow.

"Uh...gross, get off my pillow." She says as she cautiously knocks the Yorkie to the floor. Woozy and tired Leslie carefully gets out of the bed and walks to the bathroom door and softly knocks.

"Hey, Raj...can I come in?" She says, barely able to get the words out.

"Yeah, come in." He yells back to her.

Leslie walks in the bathroom and goes straight to the toilet where she starts to throw up. As she kneels in front of the toilet groaning in pain Raj pulls back the shower curtain and peeks his head out to check on her.

"You're still throwing up?" He asks.

"Obviously." She says impatiently.

"Maybe you should go to the doctor. You've been throwing up for two days now."

"Yeah, I think I'm going to go in today."

Leslie flushes the toilet, washes her hands and rinses her mouth out. She slowly walks back to the bedroom, climbs back into bed and pulls the blankets over her head.

"Dear God, just kill me now..." she softly whispers.

Raj walks into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around him and pulls the covers from over her head. He sits beside her and gently strokes her hair.

"Are you going to work today?" He asks her.

"No, I'm going to see if I can get in to a doctor. "

"You want me to stay home and take you?"

"No, I think I can manage."

Just as Leslie rolls over her cell phone starts to ring.

"Can you get that please?" She asks Raj pointing across the room.

Raj jogs across the room and looks for Leslie's cell phone. He combs through a pile of clothes sitting on a chair, grabs the phone and answers it. "Hello." He says as he listens to the person on the other end. "Hey, how are you?" " I'm fine. " "Yeah, she's still not feeling good..." "I'll see if she wants to talk." He turns and looks at Leslie. "It's Lisa."

Leslie sticks her arm up and waves him over to her. He walks the phone over to Leslie and then walks back to the bathroom to finish getting ready for work.

"Hello." Leslie says to her friend. "No... I'm not going in today." "Well you can come over here if you want. " "Okay, see you later."

Leslie hangs up the phone and sits it on the nightstand. Raj peeks his head out of the bathroom.

"What did Lisa want?" He asks her.

"She was going to come have lunch with me on campus, but since I'm not going in I told her she can come over here if she wants. She said she has something to talk to me about."

"Is everything okay."

"I don't know... I guess."

"Alright is there anything that you need me to do before I leave?"

"No."

"I'll be checking on you later, alright."

"Alright."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Raj kisses Leslie on the forehead and grabs his keys and walks out the door. Leslie rolls over on the bed and looks at Babita sitting on the floor watching her.

"I guess it's just the two of us for a while." She says looking at the dog. She pats the empty spot on the bed next to her and Babita jumps up and snuggles up next to her. "Hell... I should've had Raj call the doctor and call out of work for me." She says as she looks at the dog. She climbs out of bed and starts walking towards the pile of clothes on the chair to dig out her purse when she feels another urge to vomit. She runs to the bathroom and once again throws up in the toilet. Once she thinks she is done she flushes, washes her hands and rinses her mouth out again. She looks at herself in the mirror and notices how pale her already milky complexion has turned. She grabs her toothbrush and squeezes some toothpaste on it and begins to brush. About halfway through brushing she begins to gag and before she can move she finds herself vomiting in the bathroom sink. Feeling dizzy and weak she grabs the counter to balance herself. Afraid she was going to pass out, she sits down on the bathroom floor, pulls her knees to her chest and lays her head down on her knees. "Okay God, I know I said kill me now, but not in a pool of my own vomit please." she whispers. She lays out in the floor and stares at the ceiling. Once her dizzy spell passes she slides herself up against the wall and slides her hand against the wall for support as she walks back to the bedroom and sits on the bed. She takes her cellphone off of the nightstand and calls Lisa for help. After the phone rings a few times Lisa answers the phone.

"_Hey Les!" _she says.

"Hey", Leslie says."Is there anyway you can come over now and take me to the hospital?"

"_The Hospital! What happened?_ _Where's Raj?"_

"I told him to go, but I started feeling worse after he left. I started vomiting more and I got really dizzy. I'm scared to drive myself now."

"_Okay, I'll be right over."_

They hang up the phone and Leslie picks up a bucket Raj had put beside the bed the night before and a blanket and carefully makes her way to the living room to wait for Lisa. She lays down on the couch and turns on the television. Unable to find anything worth watching she falls asleep. Just as she starts to slip into a deep sleep she hears knocking at the door. She wraps the blanket around her shoulders and shuffles her way across the room and opens the door.

"Whoa, you look awful"

"Thanks Lisa... you always know what to say to make me feel better." Leslie says as she walks away.

"You know what I mean. You look pale."

"I'm well aware of what I look like."

"How do you feel?"

"Better, but I still want to go to the doctor."

"Can we do something first?"

"What?"

"Take a pregnancy test." Lisa says as she swings a bag around her wrist.

"I don't need a pregnancy test."

"Think about it... you have been getting sick for the last two days."

"Violently ill..."

"It happens, and you're getting sick as soon as you get up in the morning. How do you know it's not morning sickness?"

"It's not morning sickness... its more like all day sickness."

"IT HAPPENS!" Lisa shouts. "I honestly think you should do this. Here, and I got one too... we'll do it together."

"Lisa, I'm on birth control... I'm not pregnant."

"Nothing is 100 percent accurate, you never know."

"Give me the test. If it will get you off my back and get us to the doctor...I'll do it."

Lisa hands Leslie the pregnancy test and she slowly walks to the bathroom to take the test.


	6. Chapter 6- Miscommunication

Raj unlocks the door and peeks his head in Leslie's apartment. He spots her lying on the couch asleep with Babita lying on top of her. When Babita notices him she leaps off the couch and runs around his feet. Raj scoops her up with one hand and looks her in the face. "Shhh... you're going to wake Leslie up." He tells her.

"Too late.." Leslie says as she shifts her body around and pushes herself up on the couch.

"I'm sorry," He says "I just wanted to check on you and see how you were doing."

"Thanks. What's in the bag" Leslie says tugging on a plastic bag hanging from Raj's arm.

"I got you some ginger ale, crackers, and soup."

"Thanks!"

Raj hands her the bag and starts walking towards the bedroom.

"Where are you going?" She asks him.

"To the bathroom... I had a big gulp on the way here."

Raj rushes off and uses the bathroom. When he is done he washes his hands and dries his hands on a towel that drops to the floor. He goes to pick up the towel when he notices a home pregnancy test box sitting in the trash can with a test on top of it. He looks behind his shoulder before leaning in to get a closer look at the test. To his surprise he notices a plus sign on the test.

"My goodness..." He says is shock. "I'm going to be a dad."

Raj runs in the livingroom where Leslie is sitting on the couch eating crackers. He stands there fidgeting with his jacket not knowing what to say.

"What's your problem?" Leslie asks him.

"What... I don't have a problem... _do you_?"

"No... you're acting weird."

"Maybe _you're_ acting weird."

"O...k..., well thanks for the stuff, but if you're just going to stand there and stare at me I might as well go back to sleep."

"I have to get back to work anyway... Les, is there anything you want to tell me.?"

"Thank you, and I love you?" She says unsure of what he is talking about.

Raj kisses her on the head and walks out the door. He stands in the hallway for a few minutes trying to decide whether he should go back in and let Leslie know he saw the pregnancy test in the trash can. He decides to talk to her about it later but still wants to talk to someone about it. As Raj drives back to campus his mind is spinning trying to take in what he has just seen. He is excited, but overwhelmed and confused and not sure why Leslie didn't tell him. Once back on campus he wanders to the engineering department and begins searching for Howard frantically walking down the hallway he pops his head in the doorway of the lab where Howard usually works just to find an empty room.

"HOWARD!" Raj yells "HOWARD, HOWARD WOLOWITZ!" He continues to yell as he paces the hall.

Howard looks out from a room at the very end of the hallway. "Raj?" He says as he exits the room "What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait? I'm watching a demonstration."

"No, dude...it can't. This is serious."

"Alright, come on."

Howard leads Raj back to his lab and pulls a stool out for him to sit on. "What's so important that you're running around here yelling my name like a mad man?" Howard asks.

"I don't know how this happened... I always thought we were careful" Raj says in a slight daze.

"I'm not following." Howard says befuddled.

"Leslie's pregnant..."

"What! When did you find out?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I saw the pregnancy test at her place."

"How do you know it was a positive test?"

"It had a big plus sign on it... I don't know how much more clearer it could be."

"Congratulations? I'm not really sure which way to go here"

"Neither do I. I don't think that I'm upset about it but I don't think I'm ready for it. She hasn't even told me. I just so happened to come across the test."

"Why do you think she didn't tell you?"

"I don't know, but I know that I want to involved in the decision making...maybe she was scared to tell me...you think."

"Maybe."

"Should I let her know that I know?"

"Ask her about it. If she still doesn't come out with it, let her know. Just do it carefully.. pregnant women tend to be emotional and sometimes mean."

"Tell me about it. She caught an attitude with me earlier."

"Well that's just Leslie... you should be used to it by now."

"Yeah, I guess... I'm going to go back to my office. Thanks for talking to me."

"Anytime buddy. Let me know how things go tonight."

"Alright."

Raj walks back to his office and half-heartedly returns to work. All day long he couldn't help but to think of the pregnancy test he saw in Leslie's apartment. Distracted all day he struggles with his emotions, not know whether to be angry, scared, or happy. Once the end of the work day came, Raj gathers his belongings and slowly drives to Leslie's. Once outside of her apartment building he sits in his car trying to figure out what he wants to say to her. He walks inside and goes straight to Leslie's apartment and opens the door.

"Hey!" Leslie says happy to see Raj return from work.

"Hey.." Raj says somberly as he walks in and sits on the opposite end of the couch.

"I'm feeling a little better but I'm starving. I tried to eat the soup you got me today but I couldn't keep it down. I did nibble on some crackers a little while ago and I've been alright, so maybe we can get something light like soup or something for dinner."

"I'm not really hungry." Raj say as he looks away from Leslie."

"What's going on with you?" You're acting very strange."

"Nothing." Raj snaps as he lays his head on the back of the couch."

Leslie frowns her face up as she glances over at Raj. "Have I done something to you." She asks him.

Raj lifts his head and gives Leslie a look of disappointment but doesn't say a word.

"WHAT!" Leslie snaps at him.

"Let me ask me something..." He begins "When you're in a relationship you're supposed to be open and honest about everything , right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so I'll ask you again, is there anything you need to tell me."

"No...If someone said something about me, just tell me. I've been upfront with you about everything."

"You know what, I'm just gonna get Babs and go home for tonight."

Raj stands and straightens his clothes. As he begins to walk off Leslie jumps up.

"You're really going home?"

"Yeah, until you're ready to tell me the truth."

"The truth about what!? I've been home sick most of the day. Lisa came and took me to the hospital, where I stayed for a couple of hours. I just got home not too long before you came here at lunch. I don't know what it is you want me to tell you but..."

"When were you going to tell me you were pregnant!" Raj blurts out cutting her off. "Were you even going to tell me that you thought you were pregnant or were you just going to do your own thing like always?"

There's an awkward silence as Raj looks at Leslie angry and hurt , and she looks at him confused and annoyed. He's waiting for an answer and she is waiting for an explanation.

"What are you talking about?" She asks confused.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Where did you hear that?...I'm not pregnant!"

"I saw the test in the trash can. You can tell me... I'm okay with it."

"That's good to hear but I'm not pregnant, that wasn't my test. Lisa thought I was pregnant and wouldn't leave me alone until I took a test. She got one for me and one for herself. I'm not pregnant...Lisa is."

Raj flops down on the couch and runs his hand through his hair.

"Les, I'm so sorry..."

"Whatever." Leslie says as she walks to the bedroom and climbs into bed.

Raj follows her and climbs in the bed with her. "I'm so embarrassed."

Leslie continues to lay in bed with her back to Raj. He puts his arms around her and begins to nuzzle and gently kiss her neck.

"I thought we agreed that if we had a problem we would talk about it and not push the other away." Leslie says disappointed.

"I know. "

"And would you really be that upset if I were pregnant?"

"No, I wasn't upset that you were pregnant. I just thought you weren't being honest with me."

"Soooo you don't trust me." Leslie says as she turns to look at him.

"I do.."

"Ummm hmmm... What if I were pregnant and just wanted to surprise you?"

"If that were the case I would hope you would do a better job of hiding the test."

"If I was trying to hide it from you wouldn't I have done a better job of hiding it."

"But you didn't know I was coming home... you could have been waiting until later to throw it away."

"True." Leslie says as she puts her arms around him and snuggles up to him.

"So why are you getting sick?" Raj asks her.

"Oh, you know what.. now that I think about it I told them my food didn't smell right."

"What?"

"Food poisoning. I have food poisoning and I think it came from that karaoke sushi place."

"Oh, well if it didn't smell right, why did you eat it?"

"Everyone claimed that's how it was supposed to smell, plus I was starving... I was willing to believe anything at that point."

"Lesson learned I hope."

"definitely."

"Hey Les, I've been thinking..."

"About ?"

"Us moving in together. I think we should get a place together."

"Ok...um...ok, yeah...wh..why?"

"It was just a thought."

"That's a pretty major step."

"I know, but I think we're ready."

"You do?!" Oh, wow um...ummmm... can I think about it for a while?"

"Of course, no pressure. It's just been on my mind."

"Alright." Leslie says as she rolls on her back and starts fanning herself. "Are you hot?"

"No, it feels fine to me."

"Ok, I'm not feeling too good." Leslie says as she climbs over Raj and falls to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Raj says as he gets up and helps Leslie to her feet.

"Yeah I'm fine... actually no.. I'm not."

Leslie runs to the bathroom and leans over the toilet and starts vomiting. Raj sits up on the bed and watches her for a minute before going in, kneeling down beside her and doing whatever he could to make her feel better.


	7. Chapter 7- Early Adopters

We're going to need snacks..." Raj can be heard saying from a distance.

"We don't need snacks. We're only going to be in line for 4 hours." Howard can be heard saying, also from a distance.

"Dude, I'm packing snacks. If you don't want snacks that's fine, but don't try to eat all of mine."

"Fine. we'll pack a few snacks. What about drinks."

"Oh, we have some water, and juices and sodas."

"All we need is a couple of bottles of water or something. It's just the two of us. We don't need that much."

"What if we drink all the water and get thirsty again." Raj says defensively.

"Sip it so that we don't run out. Plus drinking that much is just going to make us have to use the bathroom."

"Helloooo, that's why you go with a partner so that you have someone to hold your place in line...duh."

"We can't do that!" Howard says slightly raising his voice. "People are going to think that we're cutting the line."

"We can do it, people do it all of the time. That's how it works."

Leslie tries to ignore the two as they bicker back and forth, but eventually they become too loud to ignore. She picks her glasses up from off of her nightstand and looks at the alarm clock.

"What are those two up to?" She says as she grabs her pajama pants from off the floor and puts them on. She lets out a long yawn as she walks out of the bedroom and into the livingroom.

"Gooooood Morning Leeeeslie" Howard calls out to her.

"Morning babe." Raj says as he take his eyes off of the laptop in front of him and looks up at Leslie as she passes by.

Leslie doesn't respond and instead keeps walking towards the kitchen.

"Did we wake you?"

Leslie stops just short of entering the kitchen and turns and looks at the two men as they sit and watch her.

"Yes, you did." She says coldly as she enters the kitchen.

"Someone's not happy." Howard says under his breath as he looks at Raj.

"I CAN HEAR YOU _HOWARD_, AND NO... I'M _NOT_ HAPPY." Leslie yells from the kitchen. She walks back in the livingroom drinking her bottle of water and stands behind the couch where Raj and Howard are sitting. "Would you be happy if you were woken up out of your sleep at 2:30 in the morning by two people in your apartment bickering back and forth like an old married couple? What the hell are you two doing anyway?" She says as she leans in over the couch to get a look at the laptop.

"The new Ipad comes out today!" Raj says lifting his laptop so that she can see.

"Yeah, we're going to wait in line to get it." Howard says as he excitedly rubs his hands together.

"Are you really _those_ guys..." Leslie says shaking her head.

"We're early adopters... what can we say." Howard says as he shrugs.

"I say it's a waste of time and money. Why wait in line for hours to get a product that more than likely is going to have problems, that will probably go down in price in a few months, and will be outdated by next year when they release another version? Just to be one of the firsts to have it?"

"Uh, Yeah." Raj says looking at Leslie with his face scrunched up.

"So if you two had plans to go wait for an Ipad, why didn't you just stay at your place?"

"Well usually we plan ahead for these things, but we just decided to do it last night." Howard says as he takes the laptop.

"Hey, maybe we should leave our wallets here and just have Les bring them to us later. That way if we doze off and fall asleep no one picks out pockets." Raj says.

"No one is going to pick our pockets. We're not going to be the only ones out there with credit cards and money." Howard says dismissively.

"I know, it's a pick pocket's paradise."

"Fine, if it'll make you feel better."

"Hey Les can you bring us our wallets around 7:30... the store opens at 8."

"7:30 in the morning...Sorry, I can't. Its my day to sleep in"

"Why, what are you going to be doing?"

"Hopefully catching up on the sleep I"m losing standing here talking to you two. Get Bernadette to do it."

"Fine, I'll get Bernie to do it." Howard says to them.

"Well I'm going back to bed... I'll see you two later." Leslie says as she drags herself back towards the bedroom. "Oh, and Raj, walk your dog before you leave please."

"I don't think she needs to go this early."

"Well if she starts barking and wakes me up wanting to go out, I'm just going to open the door and let her go. She's on her own from there."

"You wouldn't do that to Babs...would you?"

"Try me."

"Fine, I'll make sure to walk her before we leave."

"Thank you, and you two keep it down." Leslie says before disappearing into the bedroom.

As Leslie walks back to her bedroom she takes her glasses off and sits them on the nightstand along with her bottle of water. She slips her pajama pants off and climbs back into her soft, warm bed. As she begins to drift back to sleep she can hear Raj and Howard start to bicker again. She pulls the covers from over her head and yells out to them. "I SAID KEEP IT DOWNNN." Before pulling her pillow and blankets back over her head and falling asleep.


	8. Chapter 8- Rude Awakening

_*knock, knock, knock, knock, knock*_

The knocking at the door has been going on for some time now. Sometimes soft, sometimes hard and loud either way whoever it is was very persistent. Leslie holds her pillow over her head trying to block out the noise hoping whoever it was would just go away.

_*knock, knock, knock, knock, knock*_

The knocking continues, much to Leslie's displeasure. She continues to ignore it until the noise wakens Babita from her sleep. She starts to jump and bark at the bedroom door, trying to get out. Leslie takes a shirt Raj left lying on the bed and throws it on top of her to get her to stop. Babita fights her way out of the shirt and continues to jump and scratch at the door.

"Leslie! I know you're home." The voice on the outside of the apartment door says.

Leslie sits up in the bed realizing that she recognizes the voice. "Are you kidding me?" She says as she climbs out of bed and puts her pajama pants on again. She walks to the livingroom and heads to the front door. She stands on the tips of her toes to look out of the peephole.

"Bernadette?!" She calls out as she opens the door.

"Hey!" Bernadette says as she walks past Leslie and sits on the couch.

Leslie turns to her with her hands on her hips "What are you doing here? Do you know what time it is?" She says angrily.

"I was on my way to take the guys their wallets, and I thought you might want to come with me."

"Not really." Leslie says unenthusiastically.

"I don't see you doing anything else." Bernadette says as she looks around.

"It's funny you say that. Just a few minutes ago I was sleeping peacefully in my bed until some lunatic came banging on my door. I'm sure my neighbors really appreciated the noise."

"Your neighbors are fine... It must be nice to sleep in... maybe I wanted to sleep in today also."

"What are you talking about."

"You told them to get me to bring them their things."

"That's because they woke me up at 2:30 in the morning bickering over snacks and drinks."

"Well I couldn't sleep because I had to hear them go on and on about what they were going to do on the phone. I had to get him out."

"So _you _sent Howard over here?"

Bernadette pauses while she thinks. "...I never said I thought it through all the way, I was tired."

"I know the feeling..." Leslie says as she rolls her eyes.

"Come on, we both screwed each other over. Let's just go together and we can grab some breakfast after."

"Fine. Do I have time to shower?"

"Yeah. They said to come around 7:30 so you have a little less than an hour to get ready. "

"Alright. Make yourself comfy."

Leslie leaves Bernadette in the livingroom while she goes to the bathroom to shower. Once she has showered and brushed her teeth she combs her hair and finds some comfortable clothes to wear. She comes back out to the livingroom to find that Bernadette has fallen asleep on the couch while watching tv. Leslie walks up to her and taps her on leg.

"Bernie... wake up." she says as she starts to gently shake her.

"Huh..." Bernadette says in a daze.

"Are you ready to go... you fell asleep."

"Oh my, yes I'm ready." Bernadette says as she stands up from the couch and straightens her dress. "Lets go find our guys."

Leslie follows Bernadette out of the apartment and locks the door. They take Bernadette's car and drive to the Apple store. Once there they park the car, get out and make their way to the long line stretching down the block.

"Do you see them?" Bernadette asks.

"No, maybe you should call them." Leslie says as she continues to search for them.

Bernadette takes out her cell phone and begins to call when Leslie spots Howard and Raj in line.

"There they are!" She says pointing them out. "RAJ, HOWARD!" she yells to get their attention. "Come on." she tells Bernadette as she grabs her arm and starts to sprint down the block.

Leslie and Bernadette run down the block until they finally reach Raj and Howard. When they get to them, they are both out of breath and can barely talk.

"Hey Babe." Raj says as he gives Leslie a hug. " I thought you weren't coming out."

"I...wasn't." Leslie says as she tries to catch her breath. "This one...here...whew... hold on..." She stops and bends over placing her hands on her knees as she takes a couple of deep breaths. "Someone decided to come bang down my door this morning."

"Well thanks for coming anyway." Raj says as he puts his arms around Leslie and gently kisses her.

"You guys got pretty good spots in line." Bernadette says.

"Well, this isn't our first time doing this...we know all the tricks of the trade." Howard replies.

"Is it really that serious?" Leslie asks looking at Howard with a sour look on her face "Actually, don't answer that." she says turning away from him. "I'm starving . Are you ready to go?" Leslie asks Bernadette.

"Yeah, let's go. See you guys later." Bernadette says as she waves and starts to walk away with Leslie.

"Wait a minute..." Raj begins "you guys aren't going to wait out here with us for a while?"

"Yeah, you came all the way out here.. you might as well stay and keep us company." Howard says.

"Umm, I really don't want to stand out here." Bernadette says as she looks down the block. "You wanna stay?" she says looking back at Leslie.

"Nah, I'm good." Leslie says shaking her head.

"I saw a diner down the street, you wanna go there?"

"Sounds good to me."

"We're gonna get breakfast. See ya" Bernadette says once again waving and walking away.

"Bye." Leslie says as she smiles and catches up to Bernadette.


End file.
